1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of hand-held cleaning appliances for manual collection of debris, having a handle attached to a scoop into which debris can be swept for disposal. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of stand-up dustpans for an upright user to sweep debris conveniently into the dustpan while holding an elongated handle in one hand and a broom in the other hand.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, conventional hand-held dustpans characteristically have a short handle which is rigidly mounted and protrudes from the rear of the dustpan scoop substantially in the same plane as the scoop. The disadvantage with this prior art dustpan is that the user must bend over to grasp the handle and then incline the dustpan at an angle to the floor, to place the edge of the scoop on the floor to gather dust or other debris. In doing so, the user may injure his or her back while bending over to use the hand-held dustpans.
In particular, another prior art dustpan has an elongated handle that protrudes upwardly when the edge of the scoop is placed on the floor, such that the user positions the scoop wilt one hand, in opposition to a broom being manipulated with the other hand. Typically, the handle is rigidly affixed perpendicular to the plane of the scoop of the dustpan and the scoop is open across its top. The closed-rear form of the scoop may swing freely on the handle on a pivot axis near the front of the scoop, such that the rear of the container drops downwardly when the scoop is lifted, capturing the debris. The disadvantage with this prior art this dustpan is that the elongated upwardly extending handle does not come apart. Then the entire dustpan including the handle attached thereon is shipped to retailers. The disadvantage with this is that it is a very cumbersome and expensive way of shipping to the retailers. It would be much easier if the handle can be detached from the dustpan and have the pan-shaped base member with the elongated handle shipped to the retailers detached and then have the elongated handle attached at the site of the retailers.
It is desirable to provide an apparatus for converting a conventional hand-held dustpan into a stand-up dustpan having an elevated debris barrier to be used by a user while standing upright, thereby eliminating the need for a user to bend down to use the dustpan. It is also desirable to provide a stand-up dustpan with the capability of rapidly changing the stand-up dustpan back to a hand-held dustpan.